Their Story
by Hsumi
Summary: When Tawny is forced against her will to join her town's caravan, she winds up traveling with a group of mixed nuts, including a pair of polar opposite Selkies, a philosophical Yuke, and two Lilties that can't agree on anything! This is their story.
1. But I Don't Wanna Go!

A/N: This is my first FF:CC fanfic, and I hope it turns out like I want it to. The main characters are based off my characters on FF:CC, and thier abilities. I tried to give each one thier own indevidual personalities to make the story interesting. Enjoy!

Tawny rested her head against the back of her chair, thoughts drifting gently through her head like ghostly apparitions, none being held for very long before drifting on to the next. Her head snapped forward suddenly at the sound of her father's voice addressing her.

"...avan!" Tawny's eyes widened.

"Wh-what?" She asked nervously, hoping to the gods that he hadn't said what she thought he had.

"I said; you are going to be in the next caravan!"

Tawny blanched. "No way. You're joking, right?"

Her father laughed. "Of course not! This is a serious matter."

"I'm no fighter!" Tawny blurted.

"I've seen you fight with the local boys, I know you can handle it." He beamed proudly.

"But-"

"No buts! You're going!" He yelled, rather rudely. "Now go to bed! You leave tomorrow!"

Tawny opened her mouth to say something but thought better of it. She scowled and stomped up the stairs to her bedroom. Tears were fighting their way to her eyes, but she held them back. She collapsed into her bed, sobbing silently. Tawny was just an ordinary Clavat. She was too young to die, only sixteen. To her, it seemed as though her father was condemning her, sending her off to her death. It was true that she could hold her own in a fistfight, but she was no good with a sword, as was expected of all Clavats. Her long, auburn hair clung to her tear-streaked face, and she did her best to wipe the strands away. In the end, she cried herself to sleep.

----------

A young male Selkie picked up a large crate and deposited it into a wagon pulled by a large, blue animal. His short, silver hair stuck defiantly to his forehead due to his sweating. It was barely sunrise, and he was already working hard to get ready for the next caravan. A red bandanna kept his bangs out of his eyes.

"Riou!" The male looked up to locate a girl about his age, also a Selkie, calling his name. She had longer hair that reached her waist, and was held back with a violet ribbon. She had one large sack of wheat over one shoulder, and another under her other arm.

"I thought I told you to wait for the rest of us before you started loading up." She said with a frown. She deposited the sacks into the wagon and faced the Selkie known as 'Riou'.

He laughed. "Well, I guess I'm a little anxious to get on the road, that's all." He shrugged. "The earlier we get packed, the earlier we leave, the earlier we get back, right, Analee?"

She sighed. "I don't think I'll ever understand you, Riou."

"Go! Get going!"

The two Selkies turned to see a young girl Clavat being thrown out of her house by her father and land on the dusty ground. She was crying and clinging to a stuffed moogle toy. She had long brown hair that was covered for the most part by a white hood. In front of her were a rusty old sword and a leather shield. She looked up at the two with almost pleading eyes, but quickly hardened her expression when she saw the wagon. She turned away and stared at the ground.

"Hmph...I what's with her?" Analee asked rudely, going back to packing the wagon.

Riou stared sympathetically at the girl and walked over to her, offering his hand to help her up. She glanced at it, and turned away, hunching her shoulders and hugging the toy even tighter. A puzzled look spread across his face, and he withdrew his hand. He crouched down next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Mmhm..." She nodded weakly.

"Can you stand?"

"Yeah..." She stood up shakily, using his shoulder for support. Riou picked up the sword and shield.

"Are these yours?" He asked, offering them to her. She took them carefully; as if she were afraid they might bite.

"What's your name?"

"Tawny. I-I'm to join your caravan." A wide grin spread across Riou's face.

"So you're our sixth member! Welcome aboard!"

"Six?" She questioned.

"Yeah, I'll introduce you to them when they get their lazy butts out here..." He trailed off, looking around.

"I'm not sure I appreciate the insinuation, Riou." Came a low, calm voice from behind him. Riou jumped in surprise and whirled around. He calmed down and lightly punched the newcomer in the shoulder.

"Zolof! Don't do that, okay? Ya scare the crap outta me every time!" Riou laughed.

Zolof was a Yuke, tall and elegant. His clothes were elaborately designed and dark in color. On his back was a set of small, unusable bat-like wings. The helmet that adorned his head had one twisted horn coming out the left side.

Riou turned back to Tawny. "This is Zolof, Our navigator. He doesn't fight, and stays behind with the wagon when we go collecting Myrrh. He's the smartest Yuke out there!"

"Oh, stop it Riou! You know very well that that's not true." Said the Yuke humorously.

"Um, hello..." Tawny said shyly.

"And this," Riou motioned to Tawny. "Is Tawny, our sixth member!" Tawny blushed a little.

Zolof moved toward her, as if appraising her, putting one hand to the chin of his helmet. "Hmm... A little small, but with a some training, she could be a great asset to our team."

"Riou! Quit chatting, it's time to leave!" Came the voice of Analee from the wagon.

He called back to her. "Just a minute! Don't you want to meet our sixth member?"

She frowned. "What do we need six for?" she said under her breath and crawled into the driver's seat of the wagon.

"Well, we better get going, Analee won't wait for us." Riou said quickly before running for the wagon.

Tawny turned to Zolof. "But if there's six, where are the other two?"

He looked at her, or at lest it seemed that way, considering he was wearing a helmet that covered his eyes, if he had any. "They do not live in town. We will meet up with them soon." He said simply and walked casually to the wagon.

Tawny took a deep breath, squeezed her moogle toy, and followed them.

A/N: Yeah, I know. It seems like Tawny's character changes halfway through the chapter, doesn't it? Actually, she's based off me. She's a strong character emotionally most of the time, but can break down and cry when forced to do something she's not physically capable of doing. She's also shy when meeting new people. Riou and Analee are my two absolute favorite characters to write. Riou has this upbeat, optimistic view of life, while Analee's the complete opposite, impatient and cynical. But she does have a soft side. I'm not sure if I should put in romance later.


	2. Enter: The Lilties

(A/N: If I don't finish this story, keep bugging me until I do!)

Tawny stared at the ground as she walked a few meters behind the wagon. She didn't really want to go, but Riou and Zolof were good people, and right now, they were the only ones she felt she could trust right now, even if she had just met them.

Tawny lifted her head to get a better look at the other Selkie, what did Riou say her name was? Analee? From what Tawny could tell, Analee was the exact opposite of Riou, who was kind and cheerful. She had a no-nonsense attitude and she looked like she would snap at any second. The scowl on her face didn't help.

Up ahead, angry voices could be heard.

"Oh, no. They're at it again..." Zolof covered the visor of his helmet with his hand and shook his head in an embarrassed way.

On the side of the road, still within the crystal's protective barrier, were two Lilties, one male, and the other female. The two were arguing viciously.

"You idiot! I can't believe you actually forgot our stupid spears!" The female seethed at the male.

"How was _I_ supposed to know to get them? _You_ always bring them!"

"That's not the point! You should have seen that I didn't have them and gone to get them!"

The wagon slowed to a stop near the two. Riou walked over to them.

"What seems to be the problem this time?"

Both Lilties pointed a finger at the other and shouted in unison.

"He/She forgot our weapons!"

The same thought went through the minds of Riou, Zolof, and Analee. 'Good grief...again?'

"We'll get them when we reach Marr's Pass." Zolof said calmly. This seemed to satisfy the two and they immediately shut up.

The female, a pretty, young Lilty with a large, elegant hat on her head, noticed Tawny. "Who's the girl?" she asked.

"This is Tawny, our new member!" Said Riou with zeal.

"She's kind of scrawny." Came the Lilty's response.

Tawny was taken aback. "That's not very nice for an onion-head barely half my size!" The instant she said it, she clapped her hands over her mouth and turned red with embarrassment. "I-I'm sorry. It just came out." She whispered. But to her surprise, the female Lilty grinned.

"No need to be embarrassed. You speak your mind; I respect that." She held out her armored hand to shake. Tawny cautiously shook it. "Name's Philly, and this delinquent of a brother of mine," she motioned to the male, "Is Pero."

Pero had a rusted iron helmet on his head that had a horn going through it. Tawny wondered how he could see, what with the helmet covering half his face and obscuring his vision.

"Why are your weapons in Marr's Pass?" Tawny asked curiously.

"We live there. The Marr's Pass caravan drops us off at the edge of this town's crystal barrier when it's time for us to leave." Pero explained. Tawny thought about this for a moment.

"The reason they aren't with the caravan from Marr's Pass is that they can't stand their constant arguing." Analee said casually from the driver's seat of the wagon. She turned her head just enough to see them from the corner of her eye. "That _is_ what you were wondering, right?"

Tawny nodded.

"Anyway, now that everyone's here, we should get moving. The chalice won't fill itself!" Riou chimed in.

"We'll go to Marr's Pass first, to pick up Philly's and Pero's weapons, and then we'll head back this way for the River Bell path." Zolof commented. "It's a good place to train the new member; the monsters aren't very strong there, and we can collect some myrrh while we're at it."

This plan seemed to satisfy the rest of the group, but a look of uncertainty subtly crept onto Tawny's face. Though no one else seemed to notice it, Riou smiled and gripped her shoulder lightly.

"Don't worry, we won't let you get hurt. You'll be fine." The words seemed to comfort her, but it didn't change the fact that she was still very frightened.

"Onwards to Marr's Pass!" Shouted Pero, thrusting a finger in the general direction of the town.

(A/N: Yay! That part was a pain in the butt to write. Expect time lapses between chapters (ie: leave a town in one chapter, and at the beginning of the next, be in the town.), unless something happens on the road. _coughcoughstripedbrigandscough_

Yes, I know the chapters are short. I'll try to fix that.

Oh yeah, Bal Daf rules!)


	3. The Weirdness Begins in Earnest

((A/N: It's a miracle! I finally updated! This chapter is a bit longer, and has a touch of fluff at the end. Not much more than a touch, though.))

As was to be expected, the road between the town and Marr's pass was fairly uneventful, save for the Miasma stream.

"It's fire this year."

"No! That was last year! This year it's water!"

"I believe Pero is correct. It _is_ fire this year."

"I don't care if it's Kupo nuts this year! Let's just go!"

"But Miss Analee, you see, we must be sure that we can traverse the stream with the correct element, or we will be repelled."

"In any case, our chalice's element matches the stream anyway, so we may as well just go on through"

There was something bothering Tawny as they entered Marr's Pass. Zolof was the only Yuke in the caravan, and thus the only one (in her mind) that should logically be adept at magic. Tawny figured that this group either preferred to use physical strength alone, or there was something very fishy going on. She settled on the first choice, not wanting to mistrust her new companions. Something else that bugged her was that although Riou carried his racquet on his back, she had never seen Analee with a weapon. Perhaps it was in the wagon? Either that, or, like Zolof, she too didn't fight.

Other than the Miasma stream, the only other interesting thing was an encounter with a caravan from Alfitaria. Its leader, Sol Racht, showed Tawny the basics of sword fighting and spell casting, of which, neither she was very good at. She kept missing the target with the fire spells, or not putting enough force into her thrusts. Riou reassured her that no one's very good to begin with, but it didn't help much.

Anyway, the Lilty siblings retrieved their spears and the odd group went back through the Miasma stream, headed toward River Belle Path.

Aside from the monsters that plagued the area, River Belle Path was a very nice place. The river was clear, as were the skies, and it just seemed like the perfect place for a picnic. Unfortunately, a picnic was _not_ what they had come for.

"Riou, Analee, Tawny, and Pero, the chalice holder, will go for this one." Zolof said calmly. He wasn't worried about their safely; this wasn't a very dangerous area. Analee nodded and motioned for the others to follow. It was only then that Tawny noticed something about the female Selkie that she hadn't seen before. On her back, near her waist, was a beautifully decorated dagger.

"So that's why…" Tawny said under her breath.

"Hm? You say something?" Riou asked, coming up beside her. She shook her head. Riou laughed and placed a hand on her shoulder, causing Tawny's cheeks to turn a light shade of pink. "We're all a little weird here. If seeing one of us use a blade is the strangest thing you've seen so far, you haven't seen anything yet." He patted her shoulder and followed Analee and Pero. Tawny ran after them, a little confused by Riou's words.

"All right! There's the first one! New girl, you get it." Came Analee's voice. There was a hint of mocking amusement in her tone as she pointed to a small goblin.

"W-what? Me?" Tawny sputtered, holding her sword close to her body. Analee walked up to Tawny, put a hand on her shoulder, and smiled kindly. Then she shoved Tawny forward at the goblin, which caused her to land on her face in the dirt. There was muffled laughter behind her, and tears threatened to fall from her eyes. The goblin approached her and, out of curiosity, poked her.

"Even the monsters mock you, little Clavat! You're a disgrace! Look at you, all covered in dirt." Analee sneered. Her pain was quickly replaced with anger, and she pushed herself off the ground.

"Fine! You want to be that way?" Tawny threw her sword and shield to the ground and tackled Analee, pinning her to the ground. All Pero, Riou, and the goblin could do was watch helplessly from the sidelines as Tawny proceeded to beat the snot out of Analee.

Riou sat down where he was standing and watched silently.

"You think we should stop them?" asked Pero quietly. Riou waved dismissively in the air.

"Nah. If there's one thing I've learned about women, don't mess with them when they're mad. Besides, it's not often you get to see a show like this."

Pero raised an eyebrow, although it was impossible to tell. "Uh, show?"

The goblin made an exasperated noise and hobbled off.

------------

Tawny and Analee glared at each other from opposite sides of the group, both covered in bruises. Pero and Riou had finally managed to pull them apart, and they were 'grounded.'(Grounded here meaning that if either of them tried anything, they would get a hard smack from Riou's racket.)

After a quick trip back to the wagon to drop off Tawny's weapon (for she was obviously MUCH more effective with her fists than a sword), the odd group was again on the road through River Belle Path. They defeated every monster that they came across, and at last, it was time to confront the boss.

"Are you sure you're ready?" Riou asked the group one last time before they entered the cave. He said it to everyone, but he was looking mostly at Tawny. They nodded, and Tawny gulped silently, fear welling up inside her, making her feel slightly nauseous.

The cave opened up to one of the most beautiful scenes She had ever seen. There was a crystal-clear waterfall, complete with a small rainbow across it from the refracted light through the water droplets. Despite the peaceful look of the place, the air was heavy and full of tension.

Tawny gasped as a giant crab-like monster emerged from behind the waterfall, various weapons protruding from its giant, shield-like claw.

"Analee, attack from behind when you can. Pero, place the chalice as close to the monster as possible, and draw its attack. Tawny, stay away from its claws and attack whenever you see an opening. Whatever you do, don't try to help me!" Riou shouted instructions. Analee and Pero nodded, but Tawny was at a complete loss at what he meant by not helping him. Even so, she did as she was told. After a few seconds, she saw what he was talking about, and it shocked her.

Riou deliberately ran outside of the chalice's barrier with his bandanna over his nose and mouth to keep out the miasma. As soon as he was as far away as possible, he closed his eyes and faced the monster. Crimson flames burst from the ground around him, licking at his legs, but he didn't flinch.

"Get out of range!" He shouted. Tawny didn't have time to wonder, as she was thrown to the ground from the impact of the crab-monster's claw slamming into her, knocking the breath out of her. The monster charged at Riou, but it was too late. He opened his eyes, and a huge vortex of fire appeared above the monster, engulfing it in hungry flames. The monster collapsed, body charred and dead.

Riou returned to the chalice's protective dome, and removed his bandanna from his face, returning it to his forehead. He fell to his knees a coughed a few times, expelling the poisonous gas from his lungs. Tawny just stared from her position on the ground, not bothering to get up after having been knocked down by the crab.

"What… was THAT!" She shouted, both amazed and horrified. Analee scowled at her, bending down to help Riou up. Pero's expression was impossible to discern do to the helmet covering half his face, but Tawny imagined that he was indifferent, anyway.

"Firaga. Third-level fire spell." Pero said suddenly, extending his hand to help Tawny off the ground. Her cheeks turned scarlet out of embarrassment, and she scrambled to her feet, adjusting her hood.

"Sheesh, you act like you've never seen a spell before." Analee scoffed, dusting off her skirt.

"I haven't," Tawny said, eyes wide. "Nothing like that, anyway. I thought only Yukes were good at magic."

Riou, now fully recovered, smiled at her. "I told you, we're all a little strange here. I've always been envious of Yukes because of their magical ability, so I trained myself in magic."

Pero picked up the chalice and made his way to the Myrrh tree. The tree gave a single drop of myrrh before drying up for another two years.

"Kupo!" The four looked down to see a moogle in a bizarre outfit with a mailbag. He gave them each a letter and sat down on his fat rump to wait for their replies.

Analee made a face of disgust at the envelope in her hand. It was sealed with a heart sticker. She opened it, read it's contents, and, with a feather quill that she produced from her satchel, wrote the word 'NO!' at the bottom in large letters. She stuffed the note back into the envelope and threw it at the moogle.

"Ooh! The _nerve_ of him! Why can't he get it through his thick skull?" She screamed. This seemed to be a common occurrence to the other two, as they didn't flinch at her outburst. Riou and Pero dropped a few coins into their envelopes and handed them back to the moogle.

Tawny's letter was from her father. It said:

_Dear Tawny,_

_I hope you're getting along with the others. There were a few people sad to see you go, but I reassured them that you'd be back within a year. If you get this, then I assume you're still alive, and everyone's happy. See you when you get back!_

_Love;_

_Your Dad._

Tears threatened to fall from Tawny's eyes and she tore the letter up. Her father didn't care about her. All he cared about was looking good to the rest of the town. The moogle took this time to hobble off with his letters.

"Hey, are you all right?" Riou asked cautiously. Tawny stiffed, trying to keep back tears.

"I… don't want to go back home." She managed to say, looking at the ground.

Before she could do anything, she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her and squeeze her gently. Her eyes widened in shock as she realized that Riou was hugging her. He let go and held onto her shoulders at arm's length.

"Feel better?" He said with a smile. Tawny gaped at him in shocked silence, as did Analee and Pero. Riou looked at the group with a confused expression.

"What? She needed a hug." He said innocently. Analee shook her head, and Pero quickly picked up the chalice and started walking back to the wagon.

((A/N: See? It's longer! About three pages, actually.))


	4. Interlude 1

((A/N: Short chapter, but this one's mostly for character development.))

When night fell, the group decided to make camp by the road.

Zolof sat inside the wagon with a candle and some maps, going over the paths in his mind, then comparing them to the yellowed parchment before him. Pero and Philly took turns chopping firewood, and Analee sat on a large rock near the fire and made sure it didn't get out of control. Riou was lying on top of the wagon, staring at the sky with an unreadable expression.

Tawny stretched on the cool grass, going over the past day in her mind. So far, it was nothing like she had expected. She had never heard of a Selkie using magic before, or a blade, for that matter. Pero and Philly were actually really nice, when they weren't anywhere near each other, that is. Tawny had come to the conclusion that she despised Analee, and she wondered how she was going to stand traveling with her. Zolof was indeed a very intelligent person, who had apparently seen the whole world, according to Riou. Speaking of Riou, he was both the most mature and the most naive person Tawny had ever met. There was something about him that drew people to him, but if someone pointed this out to him, he would just laugh and say that they were imagining things.

"Hey," a voice broke her out of her thoughts. She looked up to see the last person she expected to be talking to her. Analee was walking over to her.

"What? Going to tell me to move?" Tawny asked, bitterness in her voice.

"No." Analee said truthfully. "Just want to talk."

Tawny stared at her incredulously. "You… what?"

"I want to talk. The Lilties are impossible to have a conversation with, because they'll just start arguing. I can't stand talking to Zolof for more than five minutes, because he'll start yapping about philosophy and won't shut up until dawn, and it's impossible to talk to Riou when he gets like this." She said, sitting down in the grass next to the Clavat.

"So I'm your last resort?" Tawny said, more of a statement then a question.

"Something like that." Analee laughed. Tawny looked up at the wagon where Riou was.

"What do you mean by 'when he gets like this?'" She asked. The grin faded from Analee's face.

"When he stares at the sky. It's like he's looking for something. When he gets like that, it's impossible to get any kind of response from him. He's been doing that on every clear night since we left Leuda."

"Leuda?" Tawny asked.

"That's the name of the island that us Selkies come from. They say that Selkies emerged from the sea as seals on that island, and that we'll one day return to it. I think it's a load of bull. I mean, seals?" Analee laughed.

"So why does he do it?" Tawny asked. Analee looked confused for a second, then answered.

"I don't know. Whenever anyone brings it up, he changes the subject."

"But you're his girlfriend, right? Why won't he talk to you about it?" Analee gaped at Tawny in silence for a few seconds, then started laughing.

"Oh, that's a good one! Believe it or not, Riou's my nephew, even though I'm only two years older than him. That's a funny one though." She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't know!" Tawny's face turned scarlet from embarrassment.

"You should get some sleep. We have a long day tomorrow, so you'll need all you can get." Analee stood up and walked back to the fire. Tawny nodded in agreement and relaxed on the grass again.

"Well, maybe this trip won't be so horrible after all."

((A/N: Some background information on some of the characters. There will be a few of these 'interlude' chapters.))


End file.
